Seoul stocks open higher on financial gains

By Lee Youkyung
SEOUL, Aug. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean stocks got off to a strong start Friday
as financial and bank shares rallied following overnight gains in the U.S.,
analysts said.

The benchmark Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI) added 20.48 points, or
1.31 percent, to 1,585.12 in the first 15 minutes of trading.
Financial stocks led the Wall Street advances Thursday with the Dow Jones
industrial average rising 0.39 percent and the tech-heavy Nasdaq Composite Index
advancing 0.53 percent.
The local currency was trading at 1,233.65 won to the U.S. dollar as of 9:15
a.m., up 3.65 won from Thursday's close.
ylee@yna.co.kr
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